NY Times: Broadband Availability to Expand

[Dave Farber <dfarber () me com>]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Joly MacFie <joly () punkcast com>
> Date: June 28, 2010 3:41:32 AM EDT
> To: dave <dave () farber net>
> Cc: Bruce Kushnick <oia () lists bway net>
> Subject: NY Times: Broadband Availability to Expand

> http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/28/technology/28broadband.html
>
> Selected quotes:
>
> WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is seeking to nearly double the wireless communications spectrum available for 
> commercial use over the next 10 years, an effort that could greatly enhance the ability of consumers to send and 
> receive video and data with smartphones and other hand-held devices.
>
> President Obama will sign a presidential memorandum on Monday that aims to make available for auction some 500 
> megahertz of spectrum that is now controlled by the federal government and private companies, administration 
> officials said Sunday.
>
> Specifically, the presidential memorandum will direct the National Telecommunications and Information Administration 
> to identify federally controlled communications bands that can be made available within five years for exclusive or 
> shared use by commercial companies. 
>
> Roughly 45 percent of the spectrum to be auctioned would come from federal government agencies that will be asked to 
> give up allocations that they are not using or could share, according to administration officials who spoke on the 
> condition of anonymity so as not to upstage the announcement.
>
> The remainder would come from unused spectrum already scheduled for auction or from broadcasters and other spectrum 
> licensees who would be offered incentives to give up or share parts of their communications airwaves. Currently, the 
> spectrum for wireless communications is about 547 megahertz.
>
> Lawrence H. Summers, the director of the National Economic Council and assistant to the president for economic 
> policy, is expected to detail the broadband effort in a lunchtime speech in Washington to the New America Foundation, 
> a public policy institute
>
> Some spectrum also would be made available for free, unlicensed use by start-up companies and others, administration 
> officials said. Such unlicensed spectrum has previously helped in the development of cordless phones, Wi-Fi and 
> Bluetooth applications. 
>
> Harold Feld, legal director of Public Knowledge, a consumer-oriented policy group, said the interest of consumers 
> will be most helped by auctions that help to promote competition between wireless companies rather than entrenching 
> the dominant providers in the market. 
>
>
> -- 
> ---------------------------------------------------------------
> Joly MacFie  218 565 9365 Skype:punkcast
> WWWhatsup NYC - http://wwwhatsup.com
> http://pinstand.com - http://punkcast.com
>  Secretary - ISOC-NY - http://isoc-ny.org
> ---------------------------------------------------------------



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